Chapter 141: The Arrival of the Gnome Caravan

On the third day after George returned to the Territory, a Gnome Caravan arrived to wait for the delivery. However, the workshops under George’s name had not yet completed the final inspection work for the order.

That Caravan did not come specifically for this batch of Paper Armor; to be precise, they were a regular Caravan going to the North for trade. Originally, they did not pass through the Bolerum Territory, but after receiving a mission arranged by the Temple, they made a temporary detour on their way back to the Bolerum Territory to receive the goods.

Do you understand the sensation caused by a group of little guys suddenly appearing in the city, about 3 to 3.5 feet tall? When this Caravan first entered the city, it caused a large wave of onlookers, which even blocked the main road of the city completely. Previously, when there was only Thomas, some people would stop to watch every time that guy came to the city. Given such a large wave of arrivals, it was not hard to understand that such a scene appeared in the city.

Later, George realized that the trouble had just begun. On the very first day, George’s Guards handled more than ten brawls. And the cause of the incidents was all because someone was pranked by the Gnomes.

Based on George’s own understanding, Gnomes liked animals, beautiful gems, and all kinds of jokes. They had a sense of humor and loved puns, jokes, games, and even pranks—the more complex the design, the better. Fortunately, the Gnomes’ dedication to craftsmanship was not inferior to their dedication to pranks. Otherwise, they would definitely be a group of guys unwelcome wherever they went.

At the same time, Gnomes liked to ask questions and discover things through personal experience. Sometimes they were reckless. Curiosity made Gnomes skilled engineers because they were always looking for new ways to build things. Sometimes a Gnome would design a prank just to know exactly how others would react.

As for Thomas, Sir Bart had once said that his personality was much more like a Halfling than a Gnome. In a sense, that guy was also a weird freak.

Regarding the jokes and pranks of the Gnomes, most residents of the Bolerum Territory could not accept them so calmly. What’s more, some of the pranks using mechanisms and Alchemy Items, although they did not cause casualties, inevitably caused property damage.

In this case, the conflict between the two was not hard to imagine. Because of this, the Guards in Poitou City were run off their feet that day. In recent years, especially after George officially took over the management of the Bolerum Territory, the security situation in the Territory had improved greatly. The number of incidents like this exceeded the total of the previous half month, and they all broke out in one day. It really made those Guards maintaining order feel a bit caught off guard.

However, since the problem appeared, it absolutely had to be solved and could not be dragged out. Fortunately, Thomas did not stay in Karada with Sir Bart. After hurriedly summoning him as an advisor, George personally took charge of handling this aspect of affairs.

But after officially taking over, George found that among the dozen or so conflicts, those Gnomes who were powerful outsiders could be said to have the upper hand. On the contrary, the citizens of Poitou City, who were the local snakes, mostly suffered losses.

But thinking about it, this situation was actually a normal phenomenon. Among the members who could go out to join a Caravan, which one didn’t have some skills? The external environment at this time was far worse than the society George lived in before he transmigrated; even in that era, there were still robbers on the road and Somali pirates jointed besieged by many countries.

Not to mention this world where towns and villages were captured by large bandit gangs every year. According to the saying in Tianchao, this was surely the end of the dynasty’s fate or simply a chaotic world. Moreover, in the several generations before the establishment of a new dynasty in Tianchao, even in the so-called prosperous times, Caravans often needed the protection of escorts to dare to travel far.

Under such circumstances, there were absolutely no weaklings among the large Caravans capable of traveling far in the Western Continent. Even the personnel responsible for transaction identification and valuation had a few tricks to save their lives. At the same time, protective gear was definitely not lacking; saving money at a time like this would be going against one’s own life. And the Gnomes, famous as Craftsmen and Alchemists, would definitely not lack various mechanical devices, Alchemy Items, and potions in this regard.

Those ordinary people who were humiliated and angered after being pranked could not gain any advantage. Most of them were beaten up after starting a fight, and under such circumstances, it was inevitable that they would gather relatives and friends to prepare for a big fight. Fortunately, George attached great importance to stability within the Territory after accepting the Territory’s work. At least in Poitou City, surveillance for this kind of situation was in place. Finally, special personnel were sent to handle it before the large-scale conflict could sprout but before it was put into practice. The situation was finally prevented from expanding further.

However, the handling of this aspect was beyond George’s expectations.

In the reception room of the City Hall in the Bolerum Territory, George met with the leader of this Gnome Caravan, Mr. Bodina Garick.

Before George could say anything, the other party’s leader spoke first: “We feel very sorry for what happened today. Our Caravan will compensate for all losses suffered by your Territory at full price. All medical expenses for the injured will also be counted on us. As for those who were pranked but not hurt, we have also prepared small gifts as an apology.”

Hearing this, George’s face suddenly became very strange. To be honest, he had never encountered a leader who took all the responsibility on himself after a conflict between a Caravan and local residents. George began to mutter in his heart, ‘Is it really okay for you to do this? This is the first time I’ve seen a Caravan leader who is so easy to talk to! But the other party behaved too calmly, not at all like someone who had caused trouble. Not many people could be so calm when facing the local Lord after causing a lot of trouble on someone else’s territory. Does he have something to rely on? Is it because he is the middleman for the transaction between the Gnome Temple and the Bolerum Territory that he is so fearless? That Fireball Staff and Hiren’s Star-Iron Longsword arrived in the last 5 days we were in Karada. We are definitely not the ones who should be anxious and worried about this issue! Has the other party become so used to handling this kind of thing that they are familiar enough to keep a straight face no matter who they face? If that’s the case, then that’s really…’

The lighting in the reception room could be said to be quite good. Located on the second floor, it faced the small square in front of the City Hall outside the floor-to-ceiling glass windows close to one wall. Unobstructed sunlight spilled into the room like this. Because the entire City Hall sat north and faced south, this glass wall would not receive direct sunlight all year round. This made the light bright without being blinding. However, under such light, George’s constantly changing expression was fully revealed to others. If it were in a slightly worse-lit occasion, this subtle display would mostly have been covered up.

The overall layout of the reception room appeared clean, tidy, beautiful, and generous, with colors tending towards monochrome. The white ceiling and walls specially painted with lime and that brown floor complemented each other perfectly. The color of the curtains was linen yellow, which helped to unify the tone.

The furniture inside also used two brighter colors, yellow and orange, which made people feel warm and happy psychologically. However, red, which is also a warm color, was discarded by George because it was too bright and easy to excite people. The carpet in the center of the reception room used the type painted with straight geometric patterns. But the main pattern was composed of gem-like center sunflowers, Sahabas palm leaves, curled leaves, twining vines, and flowers. Using Bakork wool, woven on silk warp and weft threads. It could be said that this carpet was the finishing touch of the entire reception room.

The specially made soft cushion chairs placed around the edge of the carpet were designed by George based on the sofa chairs before his transmigration. Their comfort could be said to be the best in the Western Continent. Watching Mr. Bodina Garick sink his whole body into the softness during George’s contemplation, the extremely comfortable expression revealed showed that these semi-finished sofa chairs were extremely successful.

The other party seemed to feel that George’s performance was not quite right, Mr. Bodina Garick continued to speak: “I heard before that the Bolerum Territory has a relatively complete legal system. If what we did before really violated these provisions, those members will accept punishment according to the conditions. However, problems like this that are not very serious should probably be offset with Gold Coins! If the Bolerum Territory didn’t have this practice before, you can consider introducing it. It is a very common practice in many places. Of course, it is also conducive to our cooperation.”

Because the mutual conversation and eye contact between people were specifically considered when the reception room was originally set up, appropriate distance and body orientation should be maintained. Therefore, the distance between the center points of several sofas should be kept at about 3 meters, making it more in line with daily conversation requirements. However, although this was very suitable for medium-sized Humans, for small Gnomes, this made the other party look more like children.

Looking at the other party’s baby face, where except for the dark brown beard, no adult appearance could be seen at all. George felt that some things should be made clear. He asked tentatively: “Mr. Garick, you seem to be quite skilled at handling this kind of thing!”

“Of course, almost every time we go to a new town we’ve never been to before, this kind of thing happens. After handling it many times, we get used to it.” A trace of vicissitudes seemed to appear on Bodina Garick’s face. But this expression combined with his facial features had an indescribable weirdness.

George, who wanted to laugh a little after seeing this, hurriedly shifted his gaze before laughing out loud. Just like that, he shifted his attention to the wall lamp on the wall.

In order to maintain the height of the reception room space as much as possible, the center of the reception room, which was less than three meters high, did not follow the trend of installing ceiling lamps like luxury hotel lobbies. Instead, the method of installing wall lamps on the walls was adopted as a light source for working at night just in case.

The frames of these wall lamps painted black were actually made of Brass. Five pieces of white frosted glass were pasted on them, giving people a striking feeling. The overall shape was simple and elegant, and the special beauty brought by the full curves made people feel warm.

After controlling his emotions, George looked at Bodina Garick and said: “In this regard, Mr. Garick, you don’t need to worry. Situations like this are generally classified as fighting and brawling in our Territory. Even if it’s a fine, it’s only one Gold Coin per person. I can completely waive this for you.”

“That’s really thank you, you also know that this group of people under me is really not very easy to manage in this regard. After all, pranks are our Gnome nature, and when we arrive at a new location and meet a new group of people, this combines with our thirst for knowledge. In short, every time it causes some chaos, sometimes big, sometimes small.” Although he said this in words, Bodina Garick did not show a trace of regret in his tone or his actions and expressions. To describe it like this—it gave people the feeling that he was not ashamed but rather proud.

“Then in those towns that your Caravan needs to go to all year round, what do you do?” George touched his chin and looked at the other party with interest. This question also inevitably carried a slightly teasing tone.

“Pranks? That is absolutely unavoidable! This is part of our Gnome life, an inseparable part.” Speaking, Bodina Garick emphasized again with a heavier tone, “However, as long as it’s not a place we’re visiting for the first time, and without the factor of excessive thirst for knowledge mixed in, everyone is relatively easy to restrain themselves. Besides, they actually don’t have any malice. After being in contact more times and spending more time together, the other party who is pranked often won’t care too much. If there is any loss, just compensate a little; if they are angry, treat them to a drink. Plus, we never lay hands on children, so basically there is no problem. In those towns where we travel periodically every year, we actually get along quite well with the local residents. However, for a virgin land like your Territory, it is inevitable that some problems will arise.”

‘Is there really such a way of getting along? It looks quite interesting.’ George felt that this method could also adapt to the environment in the Bolerum Territory. He asked: “Then is it possible for your Caravan to turn us into one of your fixed trade locations?”

Bodina Garick spoke without thinking: “We, the Shining Gold Merchant Guild, also have quite a strong interest in the specialties of your Territory. However, if there cannot be a sufficient supply of goods, we would rather purchase from other merchants. Although this will let them earn a price difference in the middle, it is much less than the cost of our Caravan taking a detour.”

“How much shipment volume do you probably need!” George said while touching his chin.

Bodina Garick took out a small booklet bound with alchemy paper from the pocket on his clothes. After flipping through a considerable part, he looked at it seriously and then said: “First of all, the two seasonings you call fish sauce and soy sauce here are extremely popular and in short supply in our city-state. You also know that our Gnome cooking talent is far inferior to those Halflings who are slightly shorter than us. So this kind of product that can bring good taste simply has a demand in our place no less than the mixed spices mixed by Halfling chefs and sold. So, to say the least, if you can free up a share of 2000 liters each for us every year on this. Then there is hope for this trade route to be established.”

After listening to the other party’s narration, George decided on the spot: “Since last year, the workshops in our Territory have started to expand. Two years is just enough to complete the preparation to production. It’s not a big problem to give you a share of 2000 liters next year. Moreover, our Territory’s demand for your Gnome Alchemy Items is not small. By then, you can completely do barter.”

“Alchemy Items? In this regard, you’d better give us an order. After all, there are really too many types in that area.” Bodina Garick suggested.

“Okay, in this regard, I will arrange for someone to draft an order for you in a while. Anyway, although the goods you need to hand over this time have all been produced, the final inspection work will take about a few days to complete. To ensure quality, please wait for some time.” George said, and then suddenly changed his tone with some embarrassment, “By the way, your Caravan should naturally still have some unsold Alchemy Items! I don’t know if you can give me a list, I want to see if there are any goods our Territory needs.”

“Of course, there is absolutely no problem with this. I will go back and immediately arrange for someone to count. But there is one thing I want to ask Lord to help with.” Bodina Garick said somewhat shrewdly.

“Let’s talk about what it is first!” George answered while not forgetting to glance at Thomas who had been acting as a vase for a long time. That guy was concentrating on dealing with the gingerbread in front of him.

Bodina Garick rubbed his hands and said: “In those unpleasant things that happened before. Some very powerful Adventurers emerged in your Territory. I don’t know if you can help contact them. We want to hire them as our guards.”

‘They actually took a fancy to those retired veterans?’ George immediately understood. In the previous conflicts, most of the Gnome Caravan members managed to have the upper hand. However, there were also some unlucky ones who provoked people they shouldn’t have provoked. The retired veterans of the Bolerum Territory were the main body of this aspect.